An Annandale, Virginia nail technician regularly purchases Maryland Lottery scratch-offs with some of the money the patrons tip for manicures and pedicures. Those tips turned into a big payday when he took a break from painting nails, and used his to scratch a new Hot Hand scratch-off. When he scratched the card-themed ticket, he discovered that he was a $50,000 top-prize winner.
The 44-year-old was at home when he scratched the ticket. When he first finished scratching, he wasn’t sure what the symbols on the ticket meant. “I didn’t know whether I had won, but I just kept looking at the ticket,” he said. After reviewing it, he saw that he had won on seven of the game lines, for a grand total of $50,000.
The winner says he is keeping the win quiet, but will be sharing the news with family. The winner, who emigrated to the United States nearly 20 years ago, said he’d like to use a portion of the winnings to help family members still living in Saigon City, Vietnam and invest a small portion in the nail salon where he works. The winning ticket was purchased at St. Barnabas Exxon on St. Barnabas Road in Oxon Hill.